Hurricane season 2012

The 19 named storms and their aftermath

By By Laura Haynes Weisman

on November 30, 2012 8:15 AM

Photo: NASA

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The 2012 Atlantic hurricane season ended with a bang not a whimper. Hurricane Sandy, the second-to-last storm of the season, hit the New York metropolitan area like a beast on Oct. 29. Other strong storms of the season were Hurricane Isaac and Tropical Storm Debby. Hurricane season ends Nov. 30. Click ahead for a summary of the season. less

The 2012 Atlantic hurricane season ended with a bang not a whimper. Hurricane Sandy, the second-to-last storm of the season, hit the New York metropolitan area like a beast on Oct. 29. Other strong storms of ... more

Photo: .

The 2012 Atlantic hurricane season ended with a bang not a whimper.... Photo-3813709.53007 - Houston Chronicle

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TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO: This weak storm hit in May, before the official start of hurricane season. It had reported winds of 60 mph and was off the shore of South Carolina. Above, Mauricio Mendoza, of Miami Beach, Fla., paddle boards with his dog Jazz, May 20, 2012, off Miami, while Alberto was percolating off South Carolina. less

TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO: This weak storm hit in May, before the official start of hurricane season. It had reported winds of 60 mph and was off the shore of South Carolina. Above, Mauricio Mendoza, of Miami ... more

TROPICAL STORM BERYL: This storm hit the southeast U.S. in late May after raking Cuba and the Bahamas. Four people died and damage was less than $1 million. Above, an electricity worker restores power after Beryl-related tornado moved through Swansboro, N.C., May 30, 2012. less

TROPICAL STORM BERYL: This storm hit the southeast U.S. in late May after raking Cuba and the Bahamas. Four people died and damage was less than $1 million. Above, an electricity worker restores power after ... more

TROPICAL STORM BERYL: This storm hit Florida in late May after raking Cuba and the Bahamas. Four people died and damage was less than $1 million. Above, electricity workers restore power after Beryl-related tornado moved through Swansboro, N.C., May 30, 2012. less

TROPICAL STORM BERYL: This storm hit Florida in late May after raking Cuba and the Bahamas. Four people died and damage was less than $1 million. Above, electricity workers restore power after Beryl-related ... more

HURRICANE CHRIS: This storm was the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, but its hurricane status lasted only six hours and petered out in the ocean, without impacting land or people. Above, the storm in the Atlantic Ocean on June 21, 2012. less

HURRICANE CHRIS: This storm was the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, but its hurricane status lasted only six hours and petered out in the ocean, without impacting land or people. Above, the storm in ... more

Photo: .

HURRICANE CHRIS: This storm was the first hurricane of the... Photo-3807171.53007 - Houston Chronicle

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TROPICAL STORM DEBBY: This storm, which hit Florida in late June, caused a lot of heartache with massive flooding, and killed at least seven people in the U.S., Cuba and Central America. Above, Gordon McClain, left, surveys his water-filled living room in Live Oak Fla., June 27, 2012. Dozens of homes and much of the downtown area was flooded by torrential rains from Debby. less

TROPICAL STORM DEBBY: This storm, which hit Florida in late June, caused a lot of heartache with massive flooding, and killed at least seven people in the U.S., Cuba and Central America. Above, Gordon McClain, ... more

TROPICAL STORM DEBBY: This storm raked the Tampa Bay area with high wind and heavy rain June 25. Above, a truck hangs over the edge of a sinkhole that opened up in Salt Springs, Fla. After it was all over, Debby's damage estimate stands at $308 million. less

TROPICAL STORM DEBBY: This storm raked the Tampa Bay area with high wind and heavy rain June 25. Above, a truck hangs over the edge of a sinkhole that opened up in Salt Springs, Fla. After it was all over, ... more

TROPICAL STORM DEBBY: This storm was the earliest fourth storm of the season on record, when it formed June 23 in the Gulf of Mexico. A message in Jacksonville, Fla., on June 25 sums up local sentiment.

TROPICAL STORM DEBBY: This storm was the earliest fourth storm of the season on record, when it formed June 23 in the Gulf of Mexico. A message in Jacksonville, Fla., on June 25 sums up local sentiment.

TROPICAL STORM DEBBY: The storm made landfall at Steinhatchee, Fla., on June 26, then lost most of its steam quickly.But it crossed Florida, dumping lots of rain. Above, Richard Williams, left, rescues his neighbors after they became stranded June 26, 2012, in Elfers, Fla. less

TROPICAL STORM DEBBY: The storm made landfall at Steinhatchee, Fla., on June 26, then lost most of its steam quickly. But it crossed Florida, dumping lots of rain. Above, Richard Williams, left, rescues his ... more

HURRICANE ERNESTO: This storm did not impact the United States, but winded through the Caribbean Ocean, landing at Costa Maya, Mexico, on Aug. 3, then crossed the Yucatan, moved into the Bay of Campeche and hit the town of Coatzacoalcos on Aug. 9. Above, a scene from Mahahual, near Costa Maya, on Aug. 8, 2012. less

HURRICANE ERNESTO: This storm did not impact the United States, but winded through the Caribbean Ocean, landing at Costa Maya, Mexico, on Aug. 3, then crossed the Yucatan, moved into the Bay of Campeche and hit ... more

Photo: Israel Leal, Associated Press

HURRICANE ERNESTO: This storm did not impact the United States,... Photo-3304398.53007 - Houston Chronicle

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HURRICANE ERNESTO: The storm moves west as it makes landfall in the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico Aug. 7, 2012. A dozen people died and more than $250 million in damages were sustained.

HURRICANE ERNESTO: The storm moves west as it makes landfall in the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico Aug. 7, 2012. A dozen people died and more than $250 million in damages were sustained.

HURRICANE GORDON: Another storm that wandered about the eastern Atlantic and did not impact the United States, instead crossed over the Azores on an aimless track in mid-August.

HURRICANE GORDON: Another storm that wandered about the eastern Atlantic and did not impact the United States, instead crossed over the Azores on an aimless track in mid-August.

Photo: .

HURRICANE GORDON: Another storm that wandered about the eastern... Photo-3813652.53007 - Houston Chronicle

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TROPICAL STORM HELENE: This storm had several incarnations as it crossed the Atlantic, made its way through the Caribbean and then into the Gulf of Mexico, making landfall at Tampico, Mexico, on Aug. 18. Its remnants produced terrible flooding and mudslides in Trinidad and Tobago. Two people died and the damage was about $17 million. less

TROPICAL STORM HELENE: This storm had several incarnations as it crossed the Atlantic, made its way through the Caribbean and then into the Gulf of Mexico, making landfall at Tampico, Mexico, on Aug. 18. Its ... more

HURRICANE ISAAC: This Category 1 storm hit Haiti, Cuba before making landfall twice in two spots in Louisiana on Aug. 28. It was seven years, nearly to the day, of Hurricane Katrina's devastation, a fact not lost on anyone along the Gulf coast. And many of those living outside of the newly erected levees around New Orleans found themselves flooded again. less

HURRICANE ISAAC: This Category 1 storm hit Haiti, Cuba before making landfall twice in two spots in Louisiana on Aug. 28. It was seven years, nearly to the day, of Hurricane Katrina's devastation, a fact not ... more

HURRICANE ISAAC: This storm made landfall near the mouth of the
Mississippi on Aug. 28 with 80-mph winds, then moved offshore to make
landfall anew at Port Fourchon on Aug. 29. It soon was downgraded and
regrouped, continuing to move north into Missouri. Above, Darryl Dragon
walks through through thick , smelly mud outside his home after
floodwaters from Hurricane Isaac receded in Braithwaite, La., Sept. 6,
2012. Water rose into the attic during the storm. less

HURRICANE ISAAC: This storm made landfall near the mouth of the Mississippi on Aug. 28 with 80-mph winds, then moved offshore to make landfall anew at Port Fourchon on Aug. 29. It soon was downgraded and ... more

Photo: Gerald Herbert, Associated Press

HURRICANE ISAAC: This storm made landfall near the mouth of the... Photo-3418416.53007 - Houston Chronicle

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HURRICANE ISAAC: As the storm moved into the Gulf of Mexico and its track was not certain, the 2012 Republican National Convention was postponed a day in Tampa Bay, Fla., for safety reasons. Above, news reports appear on screens inside the convention at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on Aug. 26, 2012. less

HURRICANE ISAAC: As the storm moved into the Gulf of Mexico and its track was not certain, the 2012 Republican National Convention was postponed a day in Tampa Bay, Fla., for safety reasons. Above, news ... more

Photo: Win McNamee, Getty Images

HURRICANE ISAAC: As the storm moved into the Gulf of Mexico and... Photo-3372242.53007 - Houston Chronicle

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HURRICANE ISAAC: This aerial photo shows flooded homes and a convoy of escorted residents waiting to leave the area in the aftermath of Hurricane Isaac, Sept. 5, 2012, in Plaquemines Parish, La.

HURRICANE ISAAC: This aerial photo shows flooded homes and a convoy of escorted residents waiting to leave the area in the aftermath of Hurricane Isaac, Sept. 5, 2012, in Plaquemines Parish, La.

TROPICAL STORM JOYCE: This wave became a depression and then a storm on Aug. 23, but did not impact land or people and dissipated on Aug. 24.

TROPICAL STORM JOYCE: This wave became a depression and then a storm on Aug. 23, but did not impact land or people and dissipated on Aug. 24.

Photo: .

TROPICAL STORM JOYCE: This wave became a depression and then a... Photo-3813653.53007 - Houston Chronicle

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HURRICANES LESLIE AND KIRK: Both storms never got near the Caribbean and moved north in late August. Kirk, a Category 2, never touched land, and Leslie, a Category 1, made landfall in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada on Sept. 11. No known casualties or damage. less

HURRICANES LESLIE AND KIRK: Both storms never got near the Caribbean and moved north in late August. Kirk, a Category 2, never touched land, and Leslie, a Category 1, made landfall in Newfoundland and Labrador, ... more

HURRICANE RAFAEL: This Category 1 storm passed near Saint Lucia on Oct 12 and Dominica as a tropical storm, passed Bermuda as an 90-mph hurricane on Oct. 16, then weakened, but transitioned into an extratropical cyclone, and later died in the Atlantic. less

HURRICANE RAFAEL: This Category 1 storm passed near Saint Lucia on Oct 12 and Dominica as a tropical storm, passed Bermuda as an 90-mph hurricane on Oct. 16, then weakened, but transitioned into an ... more

HURRICANE SANDY: This Category 2 storm was the worst of the season, making landfall in the U.S. at New Jersey, leaving 253 people dead in total, and more than $65 billion in damage. Above, a collapsed house along the central Jersey Shore coast. less

HURRICANE SANDY: This Category 2 storm was the worst of the season, making landfall in the U.S. at New Jersey, leaving 253 people dead in total, and more than $65 billion in damage. Above, a collapsed house ... more

HURRICANE SANDY: This devastating storm was born as a tropical wave in the eastern Caribbean Sea on Oct. 19. It made landfall Oct. 24 in Jamaica, Oct. 27 in Cuba and on Oct. 29 it struck near Atlantic City, N.J. There, it met up with a eastward cold front, dumping massive snow over part of the area, while flooding much of the rest. Power outages also were overwhelming. Above, a man carries photos salvaged from a mass dump of household possessions on Nov. 13, 2012, on Staten Island, which was hit hard by the storm. less

HURRICANE SANDY: This devastating storm was born as a tropical wave in the eastern Caribbean Sea on Oct. 19. It made landfall Oct. 24 in Jamaica, Oct. 27 in Cuba and on Oct. 29 it struck near Atlantic City, ... more

Photo: John Moore, Getty Images

HURRICANE SANDY: This devastating storm was born as a tropical... Photo-3733227.53007 - Houston Chronicle

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HURRICANE SANDY: This visible image from Oct. 26, 2012, shows Sandy's huge
cloud extent of up to 2,000 miles while centered over the Bahamas, and the line
of clouds associated with a powerful cold front approaching the East Coast. less

HURRICANE SANDY: This visible image from Oct. 26, 2012, shows Sandy's huge cloud extent of up to 2,000 miles while centered over the Bahamas, and the line of clouds associated with a powerful cold front ... more

HURRICANE SANDY: A roller coaster sits in the Atlantic Ocean after the Fun Town pier it sat on was destroyed by what came to be known as Superstorm Sandy on Nov. 1, 2012, in Seaside Heights, N.J. The East Coast contended with floods, fires and power outages after Superstorm Sandy. less

HURRICANE SANDY: A roller coaster sits in the Atlantic Ocean after the Fun Town pier it sat on was destroyed by what came to be known as Superstorm Sandy on Nov. 1, 2012, in Seaside Heights, N.J. The East Coast ... more

HURRICANE SANDY: Water floods the Plaza Shops in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, on Oct. 30, 2012, in Manhattan. President Barack Obama declared the situation a 'major disaster' for large areas of the East Coast including New York City. less

HURRICANE SANDY: Water floods the Plaza Shops in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, on Oct. 30, 2012, in Manhattan. President Barack Obama declared the situation a 'major disaster' for large areas of the East Coast ... more

TROPICAL STORM TONY: Who remembers this? This central Atlantic storm made little noise when it was noted on Oct. 19 as a tropical wave. It became a named storm on Oct. 24 and petered out Oct. 25 without hitting land. less

TROPICAL STORM TONY: Who remembers this? This central Atlantic storm made little noise when it was noted on Oct. 19 as a tropical wave. It became a named storm on Oct. 24 and petered out Oct. 25 without hitting ... more